I haven't done a Sunday Social post in quite a while, so I thought I'd try to get back int he habit of linking up over at A Complete Waste of Makeup. These are such fun posts and it's always entertaining to read what other ladies have to share!
This week's topic is travel, so I was all about ranting about that!
Me in Seattle during my recent trip to Washington!
What is the best trip you've ever been on? Oh, that's a hard one! I think it might be a tie between my trip to New York during spring break a few years ago and my recent trip to Washington. Being a KS girl, it's super fun to get to see other parts of the US that are different than my neck of the woods. NY was so much fun and it helped that I was traveling with 2 girls who had previously lived there. I would have totally been lost without their expertise! There's so much I got to see and so much more that I didn't that I'd love to make it back there someday. Washington was absolutely beautiful and was my first time traveling anywhere west of Colorado. I'm not the most outdoorsy type, but I totally was up for outdoor adventure on that trip! It's another place I'm hoping to make it back to.
What is your best idea for a girls weekend trip? My favorite girls weekends have been ones where we don't travel super far (3 hours or so) and just shop and relax. I think weekend trips are too stressful when you try to jam in too many activities. Shop all day, eat a yummy dinner, and spend the night in wearing PJs and watching movies is totally my kinda day.
What is your best idea for a couples trip? I think the best couples trips are the kinds that allow both people to enjoy their own personal interests together. I think having some relaxing downtime to just chill is also a good thing for a couple to do when they travel together. Traveling can be a stressful event, so just enjoying some time together without worrying about being on a schedule is always a good idea.
What is the best vacation on the cheap? I've been on several trips where we rented a cabin or condo for the trip, which allowed us to be able to buy groceries and cook most of our meals right there. If you've got a group of 4 or 5 people and split those costs, it's much cheaper than going out to eat for every meal. I'm not super big into doing really "touristy" things and paying for stuff like that, but rather just explore the sites on my own.
What is the place you most want to visit? I've never been outside of the US and that is my ultimate goal someday... To go to another country. I think at the top of my list would be Europe. I'd love to see England, France, and Germany and get to experience the culture in those places. A little closer to home, I'd like to visit Canada and some of the big cities up there.
The gorgeous sunset at Pacific Beach.
The Alamo!
I loved Times Square! It was so filled with life at all times of the day and night!
Literally chillin' with friends on a mountain in Colorado!
Yes, that's the sign pointing to South Park, Colorado!
I really did have a good school year, but it was quite exhausting in a lot of ways. I was definitely happy to see summer arrive! I think one of my favorite things about teaching is that I get a fresh start each year and time to feel renewed and refreshed before starting all over again.
Read (and complete) at least 3 books. This doesn't sound like a lot to some, but I'm not much of a reader. I totally failed on this goal last summer and have a stack of books that I'd like to get through one of these days.
Do some serious cleaning and organizing at home. I think we all have those areas that collect clutter and junk... My goal for early in the summer is to tackle those spots and get them organized!
Keep up with a workout routine. I started back into 30 Day Shred today and plan to make trips to the gym part of my daily routine as well.
Get out of town! I'm hoping to make at least 1 trip out of town before school starts back up in August.
I'm taking a few classes this summer, but other than that, I don't have a whole lot of my list to accomplish for school. With Common Core coming our way, I feel like I'm kind of at a standstill until I know a bit more of what to expect. I've got a few projects up my sleeve for school, but some of those won't happen until I get back into my classroom at the end of the summer.
I skipped last week's because it was all about Twitter and I'm just not really into Twitter. I've tried and more than anything else I find it annoying. Okay, I'm done.
What is your shopping weakness?
Gap is probably by biggest weakness when it comes to clothes. They have super cute stuff again and they always seem to be running the best sales. I never pay full price for anything there. It probably also doesn't help that it's closer to my house than the actual mall, so I just happen to pop into there way too often. Target is another big temptation for me. I went there last night and had to talk myself out of buying 3 clearance purses!
Okay this may sound weird, but I love LOVE Kroger's version of the creamy broccoli Tuna Helper. Here's the weird thing, I don't actually like the real brand of the Tuna Helper, but just the Kroger store brand version. It's sooooo much better. I thought they were getting rid of it a while back (thankfully they just changed the packaging) and I went to multiple grocery stores to hoard it. True story. Totally not what would be considered a healthy meal, but it's quick, easy, cheap, and yummy. Sometimes you just have to have some meals like that on hand, right?!?
What is your go-to movie when nothing is on?
"Back to the Future" has been my favorite movie since I was in kindergarten. I went to school in the afternoon and went through a phase were I would watch it (in rotation with a few other movies) in the morning. (I have such fond memories of functioning on that schedule... It was the best!) I still watch it when it's on TV and of course pop out the Blu-ray every now and then as well! This movie is perfection!
What is your go-to breakfast food?
I know it's bad, but I'm not a big breakfast eater on work days. I try to take something small like a cereal bar, yogurt drink, or Cuties drink to have before school or during my break around 10 a.m. I love breakfast foods, but I've never really been a fan of actually getting up and eating breakfast on work / school days. On weekends I enjoy some Archer Farms blueberry or strawberry granola (from Target). It's the best! I love eating that with either skim milk or some vanilla yogurt.
Do you drink coffee and if so, how do you take it?
I usually go through a coffee phase during the winter when I crave something warm. I'm a sissy coffee drinker and go with something like flavored cappuccino or plain coffee heavy on the flavored creamer.
Don't forget to head over to A Complete Waste of Makeup to link up with us today!
Today is the last day that I'll be linking up with Franziska and Whitney for "5 Days, 5 Ways." It's been super fun sharing with everyone this week and seeing the ideas that other bloggers have to offer!
Today's theme is "Casual Friday" which is pretty appropriate for my typical Friday attire. At my school, the teachers dress up on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On Tuesdays we wear our anti-bullying t-shirts and jeans (or another school shirt) and this year we officially declared Friday to be a jeans-and-whatever day. It's great to be able to dress like a "regular person" and not a teacher 1 day of my week as it allows me to wear some items that are work appropriate with that don't necessarily go with dress pants.
This time of year Fridays are busy with activities like Pioneer Day, Field Day, pizza parties, inservices, and field trips. Pretty much any jeans day you'll find me wearing my trusty American Eagle Boyfit Crop jeans. I seriously hoard this style (especially since I always seem to score them on amazing sales)! It's a little embarrassing to admit that I think I currently have 7 pairs (in various washes) in current rotation (although 2 of those are holey distressed ones that I don't wear to school).
Here's the lowdown on the styles I'm featuring (from upper left):
This is pretty much the ultimate field trip outfit... A comfy, colorful tee, cute sandals, and some sunglasses. I'll be sporting this look when we go to the zoo and the baseball game next month!
My Tippi sweaters transition really well from season to season and work with jeans as well as work pants. I love my brighter colored Tippis for a casual, yet still pulled-together look.
A tee, cardigan, and TOMS (I have these in gray and black) are a great go-to look. This is a combo I find myself rocking on teaching days as well as inservice days when I want to be comfy, but also look nice enough to go out to lunch with co-workers.
Ahhh... Another appearance by one of my J.Crew colorblock tees! These shirts are just so stinkin' cute!
Last, but not least... A K-State tee! I rock these pretty much every Friday during football season, but still fall back on them throughout the rest of the year. There's nothing wrong with indoctrinating my little third graders with some purple pride. I'm inspiring them to go to (the best) college!
I'm going a slightly different direction with today's post and combining it with a post that I already had in the works. I'm a huge fan of accessories, so it was hard for me to choose just one accessory. I was already planning on doing a post on versatile accessories, so I'm going to share my top 5. These aren't 5 ways items, these are ALWAYS items!
Leopard Scarf - I've never been a huge fan of animal prints, but last fall I decided I get one. It's gotten a lot of good wear and I even had to stalk Gap's website to get my mom her own! I've found this scarf is great to dress up a basic outfit and that even with the brown and black it goes with a lot of colors and patterns. (Here are some leopard scarf options.)
Black Coach Purse(s) - I have 2 black Coach purses that I have been rotating over the past few months. One is leather and one is a fabric. They go with pretty much everything. I've started investing in purses a bit more in the past few years, so I try to go with things that are on the versatile and slightly more classic side. These purses will be favorites for years to come! (The style pictured is the Coach Ashley Large Leather Satchel from the Coach Factory store... I bought mine over a year ago, but it still pops up online every now and then!)
Tortoise Watch - I debated adding this one in since I haven't owned it more than a few weeks, but I've been wearing it almost everyday since I bought it! (I'd actually been eyeing this watch for about 2 years!) It seriously goes with everything!
Black Flats - A good pair of basic black flats is pretty much a go-to when it comes to shoes. I can go out of town for a few days and be perfectly fine packing just a pair of black flats. They go with jeans, black pants, and dresses... Pretty much everything! (Here are my current faves!)
Statement Necklace - I love this necklace from Banana Republic and it's always the one I turn to when I want to dress up a basic outfit. It was a super clearance find (I think I spent around $10) and it's gotten lots of great wear over the past few years!
What are your most versatile accessories?
Do you have any items that you can wear with virtually every outfit?
It's the second day of "5 Days, 5 Ways" and I'm linking up over at Franish today!
Today's theme is pants, so I selected my black skinnies to share with you some of the ways I wear them.
If you'd told me a few years ago that skinny jeans / pants would become a favorite of mine, I would have laughed.
In your face.
My legs are not my slimmest feature, but my theory in shopping is to pretty much give everything a chance in the fitting room. Sometimes a trend can pleasantly surprise you!
I feel like black skinny pants are about as versatile as a good pair of jeans. I wear these for work a couple days a week and have found myself wearing them on weekends as well. (Something I very very rarely do with my wider-legged dress pants.)
Here are a few reasons why these pants are awesome:
You can wear them with virtually everything.
They're slimming!
They let your top make a statement.
They are a great non-jeans bottom to pair with chambray or denim if you're not into the head-to-toe denim look.
They instantly dress up your look and take you up a notch.
You can wear them with pretty much any kind of shoe... Flats, heels, boots.
My 2 pairs are the Mossimo Slim Fit from Target (pictured) and the Gap Outlet Aubrey pants. I'm hoping to get my hands on another pair from the ones from Gap because they're possibly the best fitting pants ever. (If I'd known I'd love them so much I'd have bought 2 pairs since I don't make it to the Gap Outlet very often!)
Don't forget to check out the rest of the awesome bloggers linking up with Fran!
These two are a couple of my favorite style bloggers because they have such a similar sense of style, shop on a budget, and are about the same age. (And, even better, Whitney is also a teacher!)
Today's theme was tops... Since I don't have a very good way to take outfit photos, I've decided to go the Polyvore route, but I tried to use mostly items that I actually own (or very similar).
I decided to go with my J.Crew colorblock tee for today for several reasons... I love this shirt and own a few variations of it. Plus, I feel like if you don't have this one yourself there are a lot of "knock offs" of it popping up in stores all over now. I missed out on getting it at the retail J.Crew store last year, so I was quick to snatch it up when I arrived at the J.Crew Factory a couple months ago.
This shirt is super versatile, which is why I wanted it so much. I saw a lot of cute styling ideas online and knew it would get a lot of good use! My 5 ways include 2 dressier options, 1 in the middle, and 2 casual ideas. (I've also paired mine with my black blazer and denim jacket for additional layering.)
It's time to link up over at A Complete Waste of Makeup for this week's Sunday Social. I've skipped the past could weeks (Valentine's theme = gag and then I was on vacation last weekend), so it's good to be back and linking up with everyone!
This week's theme surrounds around the number
5
5 songs you'll listen to the rest of your life:
"You Get What You Give" - New Radicals
"The Power of Love" - Huey Lewis & the News
"Ordinary World" - Duran Duran
"Let's Go" - Wang Chung
"You're My Best Friend" - Queen
5 things on your bucket list:
Get married
Have a few kids
Own a home
Travel to Europe
Complete some sort of further education
5 celebs you'd like to hang out with for the day:
Jason Bateman
Ryan Gosling
Jennifer Garner
Drew Barrymore
Betty White
5 things you always carry in your purse:
Driver's license
Debit card
Some sort of lip product
Mascara
Phone / iPod
5 books on your reading list:
Something Blue
The Help
Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist
Dear John
The Lovely Bones
The last 5 pictures on your phone camera:
My phone was having memory issues, so I actually deleted pretty much all of my photos yesterday... So, I'll show you some that were on my camera from my trip to Texas last weekend!
My friend David and me at the Alamo... I totally wish this guy didn't live way out on the west coast because he's one of my besties!
Funny story... We were walking around before dinner and of the restaurant hosts complimented my friend Arvin on his scarf. I have to admit I was a little offended that my scarf wasn't complimented! I'm pretty sure the guy was hitting on my friend though!
We wandered around San Antonio at night. This is when things were happy and fun and before we thought we were going to die or get mugged by a mob of homeless people. It was an adventure!
We visited the Alamo, but didn't do the whole tour thing. It was pretty cool to see since I hadn't been there before!
A monument outside of the Alamo... For some reason I really like how this picture turned out!
Tara over at Mix & Match Fashion is hosting a "What I Wore To Work" linky today! I've linked up with her for "Teachers Have Class and Style" a few times, but this time she wanted to open it up to everyone.
Since I don't really have anyone to take pics of me and I don't have a tripod, I decided to have a little a lot of fun with my camera and my mirror. Just be warned I got a little cheesy.
Sorry these don't show my full outfit, but I can never seem to get good pics from my full length mirror. The bottom half is pretty dull anyway... Just dressy black skinnies and black boots (that I don't even think look all that great).
These are 2 looks that I'd put in the "dressed up casual" category. They're not super dressy or all that professional, but they're also not completely schlumy and frumpy. These are the types of outfits you'd find me in on a typical non-jeans day of teaching when I don't have any special meetings or observations.
I love my denim jacket from Gap. I wear it to work a lot because it's so versatile and a great layering piece. This one is a nice medium wash that goes with pretty much everything.
This is my new color block tee from J.Crew. I wasn't so sure about the orange and navy combo, but I actually really love it. The necklace is from GroopDealz.
I told you I had some fun with my camera!
Yes, the sunglasses had to come out. I'm just that cool.
So, I took these pics yesterday... I woke up to get ready for work only to discover I had no running water in my apartment! Ugh! (Some sort of pipe burst in my neighborhood.) I couldn't take a shower or anything, so I had to prep myself as best as possible without running water. My hair isn't at its finest, but not horrible either. Thank God for headbands and ponytails!
Come back tomorrow for my Fashion Friday post on my fashion fails!
